A couple of months ago one of our customers (who’s a real fan of our Byron’s Maracaturra Micro-Lot coffee) was heading off to Nicaragua and asked us if we could arrange a visit to the farm of Byron Martinez, one of our Fair to Farmer Direct™ farmers in the Matagalpa region. As it turned out we were able to arrange a meeting. Upon their return, they asked us to share this account of their visit. So, in their words, the story goes as follows:
“My partner and I had one of the best days of our vacation seeing Byron’s farm, driving in the truck with him through the Matagalpa region and hearing about his efforts toward sustainable organic production and the 'life cycle of coffee'. We started the day with a tour of the coffee plant section of his farm, with the coffee plants in full bloom with plump cherries amidst the avocado, lime, orange and other produce plants. He talked about the importance of mixing coffee with other crops for natural pest control. From there, we met his cows (who produce all of the fertilizer for his farm) and saw the cow-food section of the farm where he grows a variety of grasses, sugar cane, and other organic goodies for wee beasties. Then he took us to see the machines that separate the cherry flesh from the bean (so many steps involved!) and the husk of the bean from the end product dried and sent for shipping. We also saw his compost piles, manure/fertilizer field, and the room where he feeds and milks the cows. From there he took us up the hill to where he collects water run-off from the mountains, we saw his own organic vegetable crop and the multitude of medicinal herbs that his sister grows on the farm.
Listen Up - We Are On Virgin Radio (95.3) Starting December 14!
Yes, we are running ads all next week on Virgin Radio - We're excited
to spread the word about our newly designed coffee bags that are
starting to show up on your local grocery shelf - blended coffees are
in green bags and single origin coffees are now in red bags. And, last
but not least, our Holiday Blend is available for a limited
time on your grocery shelf - a perfect Claus for the Season!
Over the last ten years, TransFair® Canada has brought massive customer awareness to fair trade products, and the farmers tell us it has helped strengthen their co-ops, their farms, and their families.
However, at this point in our evolution and as an industry leader, we’re gearing up to improve our trade practices and joining a growing trend in going 'beyond fair trade' minimums through our own Fair to Farmer Direct™ program. With our growing purchasing power, the Fair to Farmer Direct™ program will enable us to work more closely with coffee farmers and co-ops to offer them something more than current fair trade practice.
Beginning with our Micro-Lot Coffees, you will begin to see the Fair to Farmer Direct™ logo roll out across our Culinary and Classic coffee lines. This logo is your assurance of our commitment to offereing our coffee farmers more than the current fair trade practice. It will appear on all packaging where coffees are traded under this program..
A couple of months ago one of our customers (who’s a real fan of our Byron’s Maracaturra Micro-Lot coffee) was heading off to Nicaragua and asked us if we could arrange a visit to the farm of Byron Martinez, one of our Fair to Farmer Direct™ farmers in the Matagalpa region. As it turned out we were able to arrange a meeting. Upon their return, they asked us to share this account of their visit. So, in their words, the story goes as follows:
Listen Up - We Are On Virgin Radio (95.3) Starting December 14!
